Just Me

WOW!! 3 days ion a row! It doesn’t get any better than this, considering I wasn’t sure I’d ever play again. Got my first few pars and birdies for this season so it appears I might be able to play OK, even though the leg isn’t 100% yet.

Yesterday, I had an interesting bit of luck on the 4th hole. My ball was heading directly for a pond beside the second fairway. Just as it headed on the downturn for the water, it hit a stone retaining wall and bounced about 15 feet in the air, landing just off the fairway. It was quite a lot of fun to see, if I do say so. So, today, one of the gals I was playing with had her ball heading for the stream that cuts between the tee box and the fairway on the second hole. Her ball hit a stone retaining wall and bounced not only on the middle of the fairway, but got a decent amount of roll as well. Of course, none of this kind of thing ever happens when we’re playing in our league events, or even in tournaments…but it is fun to watch it happen.

It was overcast although the sun did peek out periodically through the clouds. Temps were in the 60s and it didn’t rain on us, so it couldn’t have been better. I lowered by score from yesterday, so all is well with the world.

I am debating whether or not to continue with this blog. This is the third year I’ve been doing this and, although I find it sometimes very cathartic to write, especially after a particularly frustrating day on the course, I wonder at the necessity of keep this up. I’m still thinking about it, so we’ll see.

We had our league meeting today so we’re all set for the season. Then a large number of the ladies headed out on the course. THIS is what it’s all about! Golf…golf and more golf!

How is golf like fishing? -Both mysteriously encourage exaggeration.

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What a beautiful day to be out on the course. Today was warmer than yesterday and there was no wind. It was easy to feel that spring is, indeed in the air.

I went the full 18 and it sure did feel good to be back out there swinging the club. For the first time coming off surgery, I fared pretty well. I think this might be a good year.

I must admit there were times, during my recuperation, that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to play again…not so much because of the knee but because of the stress on my back. I’m desperately trying not to have surgery on it so I can continue to play this game that I love so much.

Another good thing happened today…I finally got rid of a pain in the ass, negative person who was never happy and drove me absolutely nuts. She has more chutzpah than anyone I know, thinking she was perfect and never the problem. It was such a pleasant good riddance…not that she affected my golf game, but it’s one less negative asshole I have to deal with.

Anyway…the rain might hold off tomorrow so we can get another round in. It will definitely be the last of the week….rain through at least Saturday is predicted and they seem pretty sure it’ll happen.  I am so looking forward to it… We’re playing after our league sign-up and Spring meeting. Hard to believe it’s finally here. We had so much snow this winter, I didn’t expect the course to defrost and melt until May. These last couple of weeks with temps above freezing have certainly helped.

The only sure way to find a drive sliced deep into the woods is to hit a provisional ball 260 yards down the middle.

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After knee replacement surgery and 3 hard months of winters and record snowfalls for this area for the winter (we broke a record held since 1899), I played my first round of golf today

I only played 9 since the knee is taking much longer to heal than the first one did and it’s still a bit sore, but just being out there and still being able to swing the club was glorious! It’s 60° and sunny with a stronger wind then they said, but just to be out there was beyond description. All the sitting definitely put some hurt on my back issues, but it felt good to be out and getting back into it.

Apparently everyone else felt the same as lots of folks were out this weekend and today. Most are starting slow, but some hopped right in. I would have loved to play 18 today, but I have to admit, I’m tired. I’m playing again tomorrow and Wednesday after our Spring League meeting and sign-up (rain is predicted so that might not happen anyway) so 9 was a good start.

It was odd going out to play with snow piles still lining the roads and in patches on the grassy spots, but odd was fine as long as we were out there.

More tomorrow…as it’s supposed to be another lovely day!

On a spring day like today….who cares?

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Had my knee surgery and even before the weather was very cold. Now we’re in the throes of a massive snow event…almost 2 feet so far. I suspect it will be like this all winter.

That said…I’ll see you in 2010 with more rants from the golf course.

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First time in 2 weeks I could play. Last two attemps rained like crazy. Then, I was away for the holiday with my family in New York.

Today it started out quite chilly but turned into a gorgeous day to be on the course. It was almost 60, no wind (a miracle for us) and I was playing with 2 of my friends…the third has a cold and didn’t want to come out in the cold weather, which it was when we first started out.

I didn’t play well at all, but I also had to wear too many layers.

It was my day to lose balls….lost 4. Oh well. Hard to swing with a shirt, jacket and down vest. The vest did come off on the back nine, but kept the sweater on.

Will try to play Friday. Supposed to be nice (sunshiny) but it’s also supposed to be cold. If I don’t play Friday, this round will be my last for the next couple of months, at least. Having a knee replacement Monday and will be out at least 2 months. If I have to do something with my back, maybe another couple of months. It’s going to be a long winter so I’d love one more chance to play…but won’t play if the weather’s cold since I can’t afford to get sick now….

Real golfers go to work to relax

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It was great to be out, but too cool to take off my sweatshirt. I had it zipped up to my neck because every time I started sweating and opened it a bit, I would get cold. It looked like rain was imminent, but they said it wouldn’t and they were right. Only problem was my arms were encumbered so I couldn’t swing right. Half the time I felt like Ed Norton, trying to get the sleeves loose enough for me to take a half way decent swing.

Temps only stayed in the 50s and the sun only peeked out a couple of times, which was more than they said it would. Needless to say, the real me showed up today, unlike the other me who showed up Monday.

I did discover something (of course not until the 15th hole) but better late than never, I guess. I’ve been trying to chip and pitch with the ball off my back foot so I could catch it and get it in the air. I have been doing abysmally with it and couldn’t understand why. Then, on 15, I was on the side of a hill in the rough and played the ball in the middle of my stance. I had a perfect pitch onto the green. It happened again on 16 and the same thing happened. Same on 17…so I will abandon the back foot stance for now and see if the middle stance is the real thing. I did exactly what you’re suppose to do, so we’ll see.

I did have some wonderful shots….and I managed to lose 3 balls, but I was outside playing golf with 3 of my friends, including Chatty Cathy, but it was a wonderful day! I can’t wait to do it again!!

I had a wonderful experience on the golf course today. I had a hole in nothing. Missed the ball and sank the divot.

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I finally played a decent round. I even broke 100 which I wanted to do at least once more before my surgery. I guess the week of not playing rested me enough to at least play half decently.

We had a full 5 days of rain…Tuesday through Saturday. It was a totally miserable week. I did get to watch some movies but it was so depressing outside, I had no ambition to get much of anything done.

Today and yesterday, were glorious Indian Summer days, with temps in the 70s. I wore longs over shorts. Sweatshirt came off before I teed off on hole 1 and I finally decided to get the pants off (the long ones) by the 12th. I’m so afraid of getting sick before my surgery, so I kept them on a bit longer than I normally would have. The back nine is more protected that the front so it’s a bit warmer.

I hit some beautiful drives and made one or two really good putts.

I bought a gap wedge, 54 degrees, with some winnings I had from tournaments. I needed something for the 70-80 yard range. It just wasn’t cutting it. I was only getting about 60, which is what I use my sand wedge for. I gave it to the pro (in training) who sold it to me, and he’s going to adjust it so it’ll be 52 degrees. He has a machine that does that. It’s a really nice Ping club. Maybe how it’ll go as far as I need it to go. Let’s hope. He’s a really sweet young man….so I know he’ll take care of me.

All in all, a beautiful day to be out on the golf course with friends.

There is no movement in the golf swing so difficult that it cannot be made even more difficult by careful study and difficult practice.

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I’m getting tired of being tired. I’m pooping out earlier and earlier. I suspect it’s the pain meds I take for my back, too. Once the knee and back are fixed, I should be almost as good as new.

I started off great. Was playing quite well, compared to how I’d been playing. But, then the wearies set in and I just wasn’t hitting the ball correctly.

I lost 3 balls in plain sight. The first, on 3 I shot and never saw again. I thought it went left but I never did find it. I hit a provisional and ended up having to play that. It happened again on holes 10 and 16. On 16 it was a dynamite hit and went sailing past the BFTs (big f***ing trees) but I never found it. I did find a nice, new Noodle someone lost, but couldn’t find mine. I also hit one into the environmental area on 17. My second shot made it but that ball was a found ball so no harm, no foul.

So I played crappy overall, but it was a beautiful day and I was with my friends, so that’s OK. At this time of the year when my body is so tired from playing, I don’t get too wound up about not playing well. I know come Spring, I’ll be fine…and will have had plenty of rest recuperating from my knee surgery.

Golf’s a hard game to figure. One day you’ll go out and slice it and shank it, hit into all the traps and miss every green. The next day you go out and for no reason at all you really stink.

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I gave myself a birthday present. Dinner last night with my Honey, golf today with my friends.

It was a beautiful day, bright sunshine all day. We had about a 25mph wind that kicked up before we started plus temps in the 40s and 50-s made it a tad chilly for the first 9 holes. The back nine is more protected and the temps got a little warmer, so it wasn’t as chilly.

I still had too many clothes on to be able to swing comfortably. I played miserably, but it ’s my birthday, I was out playing golf with my buds…the sun was shining and all was right with the world!

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We had a fun day. The bad news is we have 2 inches of rain so it was cart path only with no flags…and I wouldn’t have wanted to be on the course with the course. It was soaking wet. It was so wet the water was sloshing all over the place. My socks and shoes were soaking wet and the bottom of my pant legs.

I’ve listed all the “events” we had to do for each hole…it was fun but after the first few holes, we quit keeping score…I actually played well..better than I’ve played in a long time…on many of the holes.

Anyway…here’s what we did. Oh yeah…it was hot and humid. I was sorry i didn’t have shorts on under my pants. It’s 70 but the humidity made it feel like August instead of almost November.

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